WWW.LEADINGRESOURCES.COM LEADERSHIP TOOLBOX
ISSUE MAPPING:
IDENTIFYING AND RESOLVING
TOUGH BUSINESS PROBLEMS
All businesses face tough challenges at one point or another – a drop in sales, an
increase in costs, a change in competition. Leaders can solve these issues and take the
appropriate action steps using this issue mapping tool. It is often used in conjunction
with “A Method of Solving Tough Business Problems.”
A. Identify Issues
Eighty percent of solving a tough problem is defining it correctly. This means bringing it
into focus in the context of other, related issues – and then ranking the relative
importance of all the issues.
Step 1: Take a first stab at identifying the problem needing resolution.
For example, a primary issue facing textbook publishers is that the percentage of
students buying new textbooks has dropped significantly, eroding profit margins and
creating a downward spiral as prices are raised to compensate.
Step 2: Brainstorm all related issues.
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Step 3: Map the relationship of issues in a hierarchical form. Refine until there is general
agreement on the ordering of issues. Consider the following example:
Major Issue
decline in penetration of student
market by textbook publishers
Secondary Issue Secondary Issue Secondary Issue
erosion of perceived value
Sub Issue Sub Issue Sub Issue Sub Issue Sub Issue Sub Issue
outlets for professors high prices cuts in economy electronic
used books not teaching marketing $ information
the texts sources
students are
told to buy
Step 4: Draw a line through any issues over which you have no realistic control now or
in the future.
B. Define your objectives
Step 1: Prioritize the issues in order of magnitude. (To do so, ask yourselves: If the
same resources were allocated to resolving each, where would we derive the greatest
impact at the least cost?) Winnow it down to 1-3 priorities.
Step 2: For each issue on your priority list, determine your objectives. Objectives are
specific interim steps toward the resolution of the issue. Then determine the action steps
(specific task assignments) necessary to achieve each objective.
Step 3: Provide a sheet (see example below) showing issue to be addressed,
objectives, action steps, responsibility and timing.
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Example
Issue: Professors are not teaching the texts students are told to buy.
Objective Action Steps Responsibility/Timing
Improve communication a. For selected category, PD 5/30
with leading professor in conduct interviews with
field during development of 10 department heads at
texts. leading universities.
b. Determine where SW 6/30
greatest opportunity lies
by projecting specific
increases in sell-
through.
c. Create incentives PD 7/30
designed to insure key
market influencers
adopt and teach to the
texts.
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